Download Marine and Coastal Protected Areas in Thailand: Status and Trend

International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Management for Marine Biodiversity in Asia, January 14-15, 2010, Kyoto, Japan
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Marine and Coastal Protected Areas in Thailand:
Status and Trend
Anuwat Nateewathana
Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand
([email protected])
Protected areas are the cornerstones of biodiversity conservation. Parties of The Convention
on Biodiversity (CBD) has recognized and adopted a work program to support a global network of
representative and effectively managed terrestrial and marine protected areas at the 7th meeting of
the Conference of the Parties in Kuala Lumpur in February 2004. During the meeting, a definition
of “Marine and Coastal Protected Areas -MCPAs” has adopted as “any defined area within or adjacent to the marine environment, together with its overlying waters and associated flora, fauna
and historical and cultural features, which has been reserved by legislation or other effective
means, including custom, with the effect that its marine and/or coastal biodiversity enjoys a higher
level of protection than its surroundings” (COP 7, decision VII/5). CBD has also decided to follow
the Guideline and Definition of Protected Areas by IUCN (1994). They divided protected areas
into 6 categories i.e. Strict Nature Reserve (Ia)/Wilderness Area (Ib), National Parks (II), Natural
Monument (III), Habitat/Species Management Area (IV), Protected Landscape/Seascape (V), and
Managed Resource Protected Area (VI).
Thailand’s territorial water is divided into two parts. The Gulf of Thailand, which joins the
South China Sea, has a total area of approximately 300,000 km2 of which about 188,000 km2 are
considered as territorial water of Thailand. The remaining areas are considered as the territorial
water of Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam. It is characterized by relatively shallow waters of 45 to
80 m deep, a level sea floor, and a high influx of nutrients and freshwaters from rivers. Another
part is the Andaman Sea, which joins the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. About 135,408 km2
are considered as territorial water of Thailand. The remaining areas are considered as the territorial
water of Myanmar, India and Indonesia. The Andaman Sea features coral reefs, dense mangrove
forests, karst limestone islands, and pristine beaches with deep oceanic waters. Twenty-three, or
almost a third of the country’s 76 provinces, are located in coastal areas. The total coastline is
2,880 km long, with 1,920 km along the Gulf of Thailand and 960 km along the Andaman Sea.
Thailand has several types of protected areas, including Man and Biosphere Reserves
(MAB), RAMSAR sites to protect wetlands, and ASEAN Natural Heritages (ANH). An overview
is provided in Table 1. In particular Marine National Parks (MNP), Marine Fishery Reserved Areas
(MFRA) and Environmental Protection Areas (EPA) are crucial to the sustainable management of
Thailand’s marine and coastal resources. Other area management approaches used include an integrated watershed management and specific area development planning. A total marine and coastal
protected areas in Thailand is 79,757.22 km2, while Thailand’s territorial water has an area of
approx. 316,118.24 km2. Thus, at present the marine and coastal protected areas occupied 25.2 %
of the national marine waters of Thailand.
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International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Management for Marine Biodiversity in Asia, January 14-15, 2010, Kyoto, Japan
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Table1. Marine and Coastal Protected areas in Thailand.
TYPES
AMOUNTS
AREAS (km2)
1. Aquatic Preserved Areas
56
166.57
Ia
2. Non-hunting Areas
1
447.49
IV
3. Marine National Parks
21
5,685.23
II
4. Mangrove Forest
23 (provinces)
2,527.51
IV
5. Coral Reefs
420
160.50
IV
6. Seagrasses Beds
5
33.66
IV
7. Marine Fishery Reserved Areas
9
52,240.90
VI
8. Underwater Archaeological
Reserved Area
1
27.00
V
9. Environmental Protection Areas
6
12,190.71
VI
10. Ramsar Sites
9
4,226.60
-
11. Biosphere Reserved Area
1
246.075
-
12. ASEAN Natural Heritage
3
1,804.97
-
TOTAL MCPAs in Thailand
-
79,757.22
-
Thailand’s territorial water
IUCN
Categories
316,118.24
As presented in Table 2, various laws and regulations relate to marine and coastal protected
areas. Key laws are those related to the use of resources such as for fisheries, forests, and wildlife.
The various laws, developed at different times and for different purposes, involve multiple agencies
and stakeholders.
Thailand’s once abundant and healthy marine and coastal resources are under significant pressures. Urban and industrial development, tourism and recreation, fisheries, aquaculture, marine transportation, and extractive industries have led to increasing demands for natural resources and contribute to the pollution of coastal areas and ecosystems. However, Thailand demonstrates good performance in the area of habitat protection, in particular for coral reefs and mangrove areas, but significant
threats to its marine and coastal resources remain. Erosion is impacting the coastal areas, coral reefs
are degrading, fish stocks are not managed sustainably, and tourism pressures and demands for water
and other resources are high. With a rapidly growing population, those pressures and the need for
additional infrastructure and urban and industrial development will continue to increase in the
coastal area, in particular along the Gulf of Thailand. Status and trend of MCPA in Thailand and cooperation within the region will be summarized and presented in the symposium.
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International Symposium on Integrated Coastal Management for Marine Biodiversity in Asia, January 14-15, 2010, Kyoto, Japan
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Table 2: Summary of Key Legislations and Agencies.
Legislation
Key agencies
National Environmental Quality Act (1992)
Enhance and conserve natural resources and environmental quality through environmental policies and planning. The Act regulates and calls for the creation of Provincial Environmental Management Plans (PEMP), Environmental Impact
Assessments (EIA), Environmental Protected Areas
(EPAs) and Pollution Control Zones (PCZs), as well as
standard setting and monitoring, public participation
and environmental education, and an environmental
fund for investment.
National Park Act (1961)
Protects flora and fauna by prohibiting the trade or
transport of species and human disturbances within
park boundaries. The Act applies to all Marine National
Office of Natural Resources and
Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP), Pollution Control
Dept. (PCD), Dept. of Environmental
Quality
Promotion
(DEQP) of Ministry of Natural
Resources
and
Environment
(MONRE), provincial and local
governments of the Ministry of
Interior (MOI) and other agencies.
MONRE : Department of
National Park, Wildlife and
Plant Protection (DNP).
Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act (1992)
Regulates the possession, trading, hunting, and propagation of wildlife species, including carcasses and carcass products.
Forest Act (1941)
Controls logging concessions and the collection of nontimber forest products. Concession of mangroves was
stopped in 1990s and all concession activities were
MONRE: DNP, Department
of Fisheries (DOF) of Ministry
of Agriculture and Cooperatives
(MOAC)
MONRE: Royal Forest
Department (RFD).
Fisheries Act (1947, 1994)
Governs fishing and aquaculture development through
the protection of fishing habitats and nursery grounds,
control of fishing gears and fishing methods, registration of fishing boats, protection of marine species, and
DOF of the Ministry
of Agriculture and
Cooperatives (MOAC).
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